The PLAN: Can healthy foods be bad for you?

Patricia Conte has a background in marketing communications and works as an independent writer. In 2010, she was given the opportunity to combine her love of writing and food when she started as a contributing writer for the Food channel...

What's the connection?

Is it possible that many foods you thought were good for you, really aren’t? Discover how The Plan breaks it down.

Good food, bad health?

Despite what you've been told about the good food you should be eating — think salmon, oatmeal and Greek yogurt — they might actually be bad for you if you’re someone whose body doesn’t process them properly. According to Lyn-Genet Recitas, holistic nutritionist and author of The Plan: Eliminate the Surprising “Healthy” Foods That Are Making You Fat – and Lose Weight Fast, there are many people who feel negative effects from eating healthy foods. Constipation, bloating, trouble sleeping, migraines and even weight gain are just some of the conditions many people experience when they eat “healthy.”

The Plan is a 20-day program that can help you test and identify trigger foods that cause weight gain and inflammation. “The 20 days definitely get you primed for success," Recitas says.

Recitas found many people telling her that they were eating right and exercising, but they were still experiencing health issues and their weight wouldn’t budge. Sound familiar?

“The Plan actually came from tracking data like that,” says Recitas. “I began to notice that, for example, 85 percent of the people I worked with over the age of 35 were gaining two pounds after they ate black beans, and they were experiencing specific health troubles. I realized that had to be due to inflammation. We tracked these things and developed a protocol based on that information. We were able to help change people’s health dramatically. Weight loss was an added bonus.”

What irritates you?

According to Recitas, inflammation is what can cause not only weight gain, but also other health problems. “Since about 70 percent of our immune system is in our intestines,” notes Recitas, “this can affect a person on many levels.”

She explains that everyone is chemically unique. For example, maybe you can eat salmon or asparagus without any negative effects, but someone else can’t. The negative effects can be bloating or a dip in energy levels. That is the food causing inflammation in your body. “That’s basically your body telling you, ‘Please don’t feed this food to me,' " says Recitas.

The Plan is a program that helps people identify the foods that are friendly or unfriendly to their body. When a food causes problems, it’s considered to be a reactive food. “This isn’t a diet book or a program that tells you how or what to eat,” explains Recitas. “You test foods and determine what is OK for you, personally, to eat. You’re making better food choices.”

Phases of The Plan

Phase I of The Plan introduces you to a three-day easy detox cleanse. “This isn’t your typical cleanse,” explains Recitas. “As a woman, you’re eating about 7,000 calories over three days. You’ll likely find that you lose five to 10 pounds during this period.” If you’re wondering about counting calories, Recitas says, “Calories mean nothing. Weight and the state of your health are a chemical response to food. When you eat the foods that work for your chemistry, you just plug them in like variables and you'll feel better, and the weight will fly off.”

Phase II begins on the fourth day of The Plan, when you begin to introduce different foods into your diet (like wine, cheese and chocolate!). You'll test foods, from those considered the least reactive to the most reactive. Meal plans are provided for each day, and you slowly and systematically test the foods that you love.

During Phase III, you’re instructed on how to continue to test foods on your own until the end of your 20 days on the program. Recitas says you’ll lose about half a pound a day until you introduce a trigger food into your diet.

How can The Plan help?

About the author

Lyn-Genet Recitas has been studying holistic medicine for more than 30 years. She started her practice working with immune response and hormonal balance 20 years ago on the West Coast and has been running health centers in the New York City area for the past 10 years. For more information visit Lyn-Genet Recitas' website. Visit Hachette Book Group to buy The Plan.

What are some of the first things a person might notice after being on The Plan? “You’ll find your cognitive function improves, you’ll be less stressed, you’ll sleep better and your digestion will greatly improve,” explains Recitas.

What if you don’t really need to lose weight? “Because this isn’t a low-calorie diet, you actually go to your set weight and you stay there,” says Recitas.

“These 20 days are what get you primed for success,” notes Recitas. “People understand on an intuitive level that if you decrease inflammation, not only will you lose weight but your health will improve. This program will work for you as long as you keep eating foods that are appropriate for you.”